Until I Met You

|•Gray•|

I stare at Trent blankly as he talks continuously. I lean against my chair as he talks about an Italian worker who’s trying to double cross me after lying he wanted to work with the mob as a delivery guy. A knock comes on the door followed by Cassandra’s voice. I order her in and she walks in with a coffee that I ask her to get.

” Thank you.” I tell her once she drops it on the desk.

She turns around and leaves.

” What’s your plan with the Russians? Don’t you think it’s time you end this once and for all before more people get hurt.” Trent says. I scoff and look down at him.

” I just want him to make the wrong move first. Then I won’t hold back.”

He nods as I drink from my coffee. I remembered what Ariel said about Theo firing her? How could he do that? He owed me over 50 million dollars and he hasn’t for once called to tell me when he’s willing to pay. He didn’t even say thank you and according to his attitude, it’s like he doesn’t even care that I lent him millions. What a fucker!

” I should take my leave, Gray. What are your plans with the Italian?” He asks as he stands up.

” I’ll call Reid. He will handle it.”

He nods.” Sure.”

” Becareful Trent.”

I pick up my phone as I dial Reid’s number. I swivel the chair around and stare at the busy city below me.

” Gray.”

” Call Alexa and tell her to come to my office. You should come too. You need to handle something.”

” Sure.”

I hang up and drop my phone as I gulp my coffee.

” Cassandra, I need Theodore Sterling’s contact info.” I say into the intercom.

” Sure thing boss.” She replies as I rub my temple.

Few minutes later, a message pops up on my computer screen as I dial the number on the telephone on my desk. I put it on the loudspeaker and wait for the bastard to pick it up.

” Theodore Sterling.” He says once he picks up.

” Theodore…” I smirk and run my fingers through my hair.

” Who’s this please?” He asks , his tone sounds bored.

” Gray Carter.”

He chuckles on the phone and then laughs. I bite my lip and nod. I just hope he got my money ready or I’m hurting his broken ass.

” What do you want, Gray? Oh I fired your little slut and you called to scold and yell at me. You’re fuckin crazy Gray.”

I chuckle and rub my temple.

” My slut huh? Take it back Theo.”

” Why should I? She’s a slut and yes I fired her stupid ass. You can’t just skip work for almost two weeks and you just walk back like nothing happened. What does she see me as? A kid? Fuck you Gray. This is my company and I decide what goes on. And if you wanna tell me shit about your fifty million dollars, I’m sending it to you this weekend. Goodbye.” He hangs up.

I smirk and lean my head against the headrest. Sterling Corp. What should I do to that son of a bitch?

The fucker hung up after calling my girl a whore. I chuckle and pick up my car key as I stand up from my chair. I walk out of my office and shut the door.

” Postpone every meeting till I’m back. I’m going out.” I say to Cassandra. She nods and I leave. I enter my car and drive to Sterling Corp. I lean my elbow on the window sill while the other steers the wheel. I run my fingers through my hair and turn down the volume of the radio. I park the car outside Sterling Corp and get out. I shut the door and stuck my hands inside my pocket and stride inside. I’ve never been here before. But that son of a bitch did a nice job in bringing me here. He’s gonna regret this.

These jobless ladies look my way as I walk past them. I walk to the elevator and enter. I assume he’s the boss here and his office must be at the top floor. I press the top button and lean against the elevator walls as It ascends. The elevator slides open and I step out. I stare at the girl at the front desk as she looks up at me. A big smile appears on her face as I roll my eyes at her.

” Where’s your boss?” I ask her.

” Do you have an appointment with him sir?”

The fuck would i be needing an appointment for?

” Is he around?”

” Yeah. Let me call…”

” Don’t bother.” I interrupt her and walk straight to his office door.

I twist the doorknob and step in. He looks up at me with shock and slight fear. He glares at me and tries to keep up his hard man facade. I scoff and aggressively shut the door.

” Theodore Sterling.” I call his name and look around his office. I walk to his desk and smirk at him.

” What are you doing here, Gray?”

” To remind you who the fuck I am.” I tell him as he swallows.

I grab his tie and pull him to me aggressively.

” What the fuck did you say on the phone? I was having a problem listening, you mind repeating it?”

He glares at me.” The fact that you’re wealthy doesn’t make you oppress everyone, Gray.”

I pull him harder against his desk and glare at me.” Why don’t you work hard and try to be wealthy too, you ungrateful bastard.”

” I’m gonna call the security Gray.”

” And ask them to throw me out? The fuck you won’t.”

He groans and tries to pry my hand off his tie. I grab his hair and press his face against his desk making sure it hurts him. He grunts silently as he cusses.

” Try touch my hand again, and I swear to God , I will cut off your fuckin hand.” I let go of his head and tie as he sits up at once with a red face.

” Now tell me why did you fucking fire her? You thought if it was only you , I’d lend you fifty fucking million. What am I, Santa Claus? You couldn’t even fuckin ask her what the fuck happened to her and you fired her. And you even called her a slut to my face. Who the fuck are you?”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

He bites his bottom lip and glares at me. I’m not really too offended about the firing part , but calling her a slut to my face was something I won’t take. Not even from this fucker in front of me.

” Who the fuck are you looking at, you miserable dumb fuck.” I yell at him.

He sighs and looks away.

” So that’s how you treat your workers? They skip work for almost two weeks and you welcome them back?” He asks.

I place my hands on his desk and lean across his desk.

” I ask them why, you idiot. If I find out there’s no goddamn good reason , i suspend their fuckin ass. She’s not even your worker , but your intern. An assistant in case your fuck head of a secretary isn’t here to help.” I yell at him.

” So what do you want from me?”

” Where the fuck is my money?”

” I don’t have it, Gray. Like I said I was gonna send it to you this weekend.”

I stand up and smirk. The fuck yeah? This weekend. He’s so ungrateful and a stupid fuck.

” Get up Theo.”

” What?” He looks at me at once.

” Stand up Theo. Now. I should lecture you about manners , because you fuckin lack it. Get up.”

” Hell no, I won’t.”

I chuckle and punch him.

” Fuck…” he grunts and holds his already bleeding nose.

” That’s for calling my girl a slut. Now Get the fuck up.”

He looks at me as I tilt my head.

” Why do you wanna hurt me Gray?”

” Because I fuckin hate you. How dare you call my girl a slut? You gon’ pay for it bitch, get the fuck up , you moron.” I grab his tie and pull him to stand up.

” Now you’re gonna listen and listen real good. Twenty four hours, if I don’t see my sixty million, get ready to kiss Sterling Corp goodbye. Do you hear me?”

” You can’t do that.” He argues.

” Of course I will. Don’t dare me. By the end of tomorrow I need to see my money or you’re going broke.” I push him back on his seat.

” This is so unfair and wicked.”

” Oh really? You are ungrateful, you dick. I had to remind you for my own fuckin money and you weren’t even remorseful about it. You had to call my girl a slut in my own face after the shit I did for this nonsense you called a company. Twenty four hours, don’t test me.”

****

” What’s your plan for that Italian? I heard De Luca sent him.” Reid says as he stares at me.

I don’t want a fight with the italians. Why would De Luca send a man to work for me?

” And why would he do that?” I ask and take out a stick of a cigarette.

” They want more Gray. More alliances and connections in the drug market. De Luca is a monster and a greedy bastard.” Reid says.

Alexa knocks as she walks in.

” You sent it to me, boss.” She says as she shuts the door. Reid turns to look at her as she stiffens. What the fuck is that? Are they having sex? Reid looks away as I look between him and her. He raises his brows at me and I scoff. He’s gonna hate it if he tries it. Shit like this brings nothing but bad luck to the mob.

” You need to set a visit with your twin, Ace.”

She blinks her eyes and looks at Reid again.

” I heard that De Luca sent a mole to work for me as a delivery guy. Found out he works with the Italians and he’s actually working for us because he needs information to give to De Luca. I want you to talk to Ace. Let him tell you De Luca’s plans for the Mafia because the Italians are the last people I wanna go to war with.”

She sighs and slightly nods.

” What if Ace agrees to tell me nothing?”

” He’s your twin. Make him tell you.”

She nods again and turns to leave.

” This is so awkward.” She mutters and opens the door as she leaves.

” Have you fucked her yet?” I ask Reid.

” Gray don’t.”

” Gray don’t.” I mimic him and stare at him. He looks away and sighs. Fuck me , he has.

” Why did you do it? I thought I told you? You know what happened with you and Meghan. Nobody sleeps with each other in a fuckin Mafia except she’s a slut to the mob.”

” We didn’t sleep with each other.”

” Why the fuck are you lying? You’re my fuckin best friend and I’ve known you for over ten years now. You can’t lie to me and you know that. Your expression sold you out.”

He stays quiet and looks away.

” Why did you do it? What’s up with your dick? Can’t you keep it in your pants?”

” She’s a different Gray. I know it’s wrong and I couldn’t help myself around her. We were both drunk and shit happened. Gray I liked it and she’s different. I called her and told her it was a mistake because it was a mistake. I shouldn’t have.”

” You’re in love with her?”

” Fuck no. It’s something different. She’s the only girl who’s ever stood up to me , Ariel didn’t.”

I gape at him and stare at him for minutes. He couldn’t meet my eyes.

” I don’t wanna fuck this up. I quit it, so it’s fine.”

” It’s affecting her. She likes your stupid ass and you know it. Sort this shit out.”

~ARIEL~

I brace myself for the worst news ever in my twenty years of living. Mom sits close to dad or let’s call it supposed dad. Sinclair sits opposite me as I stare at everyone. I was lied to. How could they do this to me? I’ve known just one man as my dad for a long time and sadly , he’s not even my father.

” Why did you lie mom?” I ask my supposed mom.

” It’s a long story dear. I’m really sorry.”

” You’re sorry? I asked you to tell me the truth. You didn’t , you lied over and over again. Why did you fuckin lie?” I yell at her.

” I was trying to protect you alright. I wanted you to live a normal life. Nothing that has to do with the mob , that’s what I wanted for you.”

” But you should have told me? Is that why you sent me to the convent?”

” The fuckin convent? Why would you do that?” Sinclair butt in.

” Because I want her to be far from you and closer to God. I didn’t plan this type of life for her, I wanted something better. A life her mother didn’t live. I thought if she joined the convent, you won’t find her and talk her into joining your criminal ways. I failed when she got raped.”

” You got raped?” Sinclair or dad now asks with rage.

Why did she have to remind me of my rape misfortune all of a sudden.

” Who raped you? Gray?”

” God no. Gray has nothing to do with this and I don’t want to talk about my rape incident.” I say and look away from them.

” Who was my mom?” I ask them.

Mom sighs as she looks at Sinclair and then me.

” She was my twin sister.” Mom says as I whip my head to her form.

” Your sister?”

” Yes. She’s your aunt. It’s a sad story Ariel. Why did you even change her fucking name? Why Ariel?” Sinclair asks as he looks at mom.

” You don’t have to find out about her. That was my plan to keep her away from you and your Mafia world. Your world took everything from us.” Mom says as she sniffles.

” What happened? Why did you have to hide me?”

” Your mom, Ariana fell in love with him a long time ago. I dated him first, but I quit when I found out he was a mob boss’s son and obviously he was gonna take over the Mafia.”

” Wait, you dated Sinclair?” I ask mom.

She nods and rolls her eyes.” We first dated at college. Your mom went to culinary school so we weren’t really in the same school. Doreen, Alexa’s mom, was our older sister. She really didn’t like Sin too, including our mom , your grandmother. When I found out he was in the mafia , I cut ties with him to protect my family and my life. Few years after , at our 25th birthday, your mom, Ariana, brought Sinclair to the party and introduced him as her boyfriend.” Mom explains.

” She got furious and angry at the same time, sad. The thought of seeing your twin sister with a man you once dated. She advised your mom to break up with me. And she told your mom I was a mob boss because at that time I already took over from my father. Your mother was stubborn, she refused and she really didn’t know I dated Rebecca first before your mom. Few months into the relationship, Ariana got pregnant with you, Ariel. She gave birth to you and we called you Scarlett…” He says and sighs. Scarlett? Damn, why Scarlett?

This hurt more than anything I can think of. I can’t believe my ears.

” My mother, your grandma warned your mother to get rid of the relationship because they are not really deep into it then. She told your mom that if she continues the relationship with Sinclair since he was a mobster, she was gonna cut your mom off. Your mom didn’t listen and your grandma cut her off from the family.” Mom huffs and leans against the chair.

Yeah. It runs in the blood.

That’s how Leslie was also cut out.

” The Russians started everything. A shootout started in a club and they shot my father. That was how the war started. We fought back and it became serious we started losing everyone. They’re heartless creatures. I was scared to lose you cause you were 2yrs old then. Your mom suggested she gave you to her, Rebecca, because of the shootout. We wanted to protect you. I decided to fly your mom to a safer place while you stayed with her for a while before we came to get you , they shot her at the airport. Not once , not twice. It was a headshot and I couldn’t save her.” A tear slips out of Sinclair’s eyes as he narrates his part of the story.

” I had to avenge her death and everything by killing Vladimir’s father because he was in charge then. I killed his mom too and that ended everything I think. I came back for you after everything was settled, but Rebecca told me you were dead. That you died of a heart problem and they couldn’t save you.”

” I’m really sorry Ariel.” Mom apologizes.

I take a deep breath and hold my head. I should get out of here. Far away from here. Maybe travel again. I don’t even have a job and I need to do something. I stand up and wipe my eyes.

” Where are you going?” My supposed mom asks with dad.

” Far away from you all. Please don’t come after me.” I point my finger at Sinclair as I hurry out of the house.